Dark Side Of The Moon
by Illuminet
Summary: WI The last battle of the Crusades has ended. Sol has been exposed as a Gear to the rest of the Sacred Order and by extension, the world. Now his only ally is the very enemy he fought against.
1. In The Arms Of Death

Dark Side Of The Moon

Chapter 1: In The Arms Of Death

Written By Illuminet

Disclaimer: The Guilty Gear Series is the rightful property of Arc System Works. Some characters are simply being borrowed for non-profit purposes.

"..."-Indicate Speech

'...'-Indicate Thought

:xXx:

She knew this was the end. Her vision was blurred greatly but she knew who it was that stood above her. The Holy Knights sneered down at her, babbling things that she might be able to hear had it not been for that intense ringing which kept invading her ear drums.

'So...this is it? Mother...I'm sorry...I couldn't...'

Her mind was foggy, lithe and beautiful body exhausted from the battle with her greatest enemy: Her mother's killer. He had proven to be a nuisance time and time again, but alas, she didn't even have the strength to even be mad at him at this point.

'The Crusades...are over.'

She knew it to be true as her red wine colored eyes closed softly into slits, obscuring the view of the Holy Knights even more. She would die by these Holy Knights and their blades, and she would hope it would only be all too soon. She was alone in both the Human and the Gear worlds because she was born with the blood of each one, making her a disgusting half-breed. Better to kill her now while she still had the pride of her Gear half rather than having her body ravaged by these Humans first before being killed, so she only hoped that they kept their anger and hatred for her strong enough that they would provide her with this mercy and she could lay still with the rest of the corpses of both Humans and Gears that littered the ground. Unfortunately, as if reading her thoughts, one Knight lowered himself down to her, a smirk appearing on his face. She flinched as she felt his cold hand on her cheek, her body having not completely going numb from the shock of her final battle just yet. She could not rend this Human into a pile of oozing flesh with her exhausted magic supply, and even her winged systems, the grim looking black wing Necro and the fair looking white wing Undine, could do nothing.

"Don't...touch me..."

She thought she said, but couldn't be sure. She must have though, because the Knight's smirk became a grin and she could feel his hand glide down to touch her neck. It went lower, just about to make contact with her right breast, before stopping. She saw him and the other Knights turn their heads to peer at something she herself did not have the strength to turn and see. The Knight forgot about her as he rose to his feet, brandishing a large axe in hand as he charged at something. She saw blood fly at the corner of her vision, and she began to hope: Hope that maybe some remaining Gear soldiers may have arrived just in time to save her. Or come just in time to watch her die as the remaining large group of Knights that surrounded her lifted their weapons, readying them to cut her to pieces and end her existence with their own axes. Their forms disappeared as one man's face came in her line of vision. All she saw were a pair of mismatched eyes staring down at her and into her own eyes: the left one a smoldering gold and the right one a bleeding crimson. She knew these feral and animalistic eyes well, and it was the last thing she saw before her vision went black.

:xXx:

He could only smirk at the sight of shocked faces that peered down at him as he lay amongst the corpses of Humans and Gears who fought and lost their lives to this Crusade. The crimson slab of metal crudely carved with the words -Rock You- he wore on his forehead that was bound by two leather straps had been obliterated with his last attack upon the female Half-Gear he tried to sway from fighting him. He knew she still had a chance of escaping to live a normal peaceful life as a Human if she wanted to, yet she decided to side with her Gear side and face him for the murder of her mother by his own hands. All he was hoping to accomplish in this war was to die, knowing himself to be a cursed existence.

'So...it'll end here, huh? This stupid war of a hundred years. This is what I wanted...right?'

He thought to himself. These Knights finally uncovered the secrets of his power: That he himself was a Gear. The proof shown on his forehead from between the strands of long wild brown hair: The blood red emblem. If the late Commander Ky Kiske were still alive after the battle of Rome, he would probably be the most shocked as well as the first one to stab the hidden Gear through the head with the Thunder Seal sword of the Outrage Set. Oh well. One of the Knights stomped on the Gear's head, burying his cheek slightly into the blood soaked earth.

"Bastard! Your one of them, Sol Badguy!"

The knight roared in barely suppressed fury. The Gear, Sol, only offered a slightly wider smirk.

"And...?"

Sol said to the Knight with his lazy drawl of a speech pattern, angering the knight easily.

"How dare you...! A Gear masquerading in the clothing of a Holy Knight and soiling the Sacred Order of Knights! If Commander Kiske..."

The Knight was interrupted by Sol.

"He'd say the same exact thing. Get it over with already!"

Sol said with indifference. As much as he wanted death at this moment, he knew he would not rest until -That Man- was dead. It was easier to believe him as the Gear dead for now so he could escape into the shadows of time and hunt down his greatest enemy. He wanted to both curse and thank Justice for that little piece of information before her death. He had a reason to live again before taking his own life. His mismatched eyes moved from looking up at the Knight to looking straight ahead, peering at the Half-Gear he had fought earlier laying on the ground a few feet away from his own location and in his same predicament of being surrounded by Knights.

'She's only a child, and she'll die without ever knowing true life. This is a sad world we live in. Human and Gear alike. I only hope she'll find some semblance of peace if there is an afterlife somewhere.'

What ever remained of his heart bled for the unfortunate Half-Gear. He knew all too well of her situation, for it was like his own: A cursed existence. What he saw next was something that made his lungs breath in the will to fight before laying a perfect chance at a fake death as he had hoped previously. One Knight lowered himself towards her, planting a hand on her face. His amazing vision allowed him to see the fear glimmering in the Half-Gear's eyes.

"Don't...touch me..."

She spoke, trying to muster the power and authority she had moments ago when she fought with Sol. It only make the Knight want to become more lecherous, knowing that the beautiful Half-Gear was helpless from exhausting her magic past their limits. The Knight's hand lowered. The Gear made up his mind as his left hand clutched the large sword he crafted from the bones of wild dragons he often slain. He clipped the leg of the Knight who stood above him, making the Knight scream loudly in his shock. Sol lifted himself up, being slabbed through the chest by some spears. He paid little mind as he slashed the weapons in half before cleaving the bodies of the remaining Knights with a whirling slash that removed the Knights upper bodies from their lower bodies and showering blood into the air.

"Dizzy..."

He spoke her name softly for the first time as he made his way towards her, already being fast approached by the very Knight that was touching her earlier. The Knight welded his axe expertly, but did not have the ability to match with the Gear, who deflected the attack before bringing the sword in between the Knight's legs and cutting upward, cutting the man in two from the groin. Sol's eyes flashed dangerously as he saw the other axe welding Knights preparing to cut Dizzy to pieces. He wasn't sure what spurred him to use his tremendous speed to jump in the line of attacks, getting his heavily muscle bound body cut into by the axes. He saw Dizzy stare up at him with an unreadable expression before her eyes closed. Knowing she fainted from exhaustion, he reared himself up, catching the Knights off guard before turning around and bringing the blunt of his sword to their heads. Sickening crunching sounds ensued when He smashed the remaining Knights heads into the dirt. He heard one Knight doing the smart thing of running away to get reinforcements.

"OVER HERE! WE HAVE TO KILL THE GEAR! BADGUY!"

He roared out. Sol took the opportunity to plant his sword into the ground and to remove the tattered cape that was buckled to his coat, wrapping the unconscious Dizzy in it before grabbing his sword again and carrying her bridal style into the darkness with whatever remaining strength filling his body.

:To Be Continued:

Note-An idea that I've been wanting to do for a while now but never had the guts to write. A combination of what might happen in the regular time line of the Guilty Gear series as well as an Order-Sol x Dizzy romance. Thank authors like Blaze Heatnix and Raven6 for this one. Yay for the coming of Guilty Gear XX Slash: The Midnight Carnival and Order-Sol: The coolest low tier character ever! Anyway, It's been awhile I know, but I've been very busy lately and have lost some inspiration, but hopefully I can get back into the swing of things.


	2. Red Crossroads

Dark Side Of The Moon

Chapter 2: Red Crossroads

Written By Illuminet

Disclaimer: The Guilty Gear series is the rightful property of Arc System Works. Some characters are simply being borrowed for non-profit purposes.

"..."-Indicate Speech

'...'-Indicate Thought

:xXx:

For how long Sol ran, he could not be sure. One thing he did know was that the fatigue with the battle against Dizzy had worn him out greatly and was now starting to catch up with him.

'She may only be a child, but her power has surpassed even Justice's. Not by much, but still a noticeable margin. If I hadn't been the stronger one, I would not be able to still move as I am now. I've saved her life, but that's far from going to be enough to get on her nice side. I'd better expect some verbal hell once she awakens.'

The Gear thought wryly to himself, taking a moment to peer down at the Half-Gear in his arms. Her azure hair was longer than his own and much better cared for from what he could feel of the silky strands bobbing against his arm from his movements. Her wings and tail had also retracted and shrunk to minimum size from having exhausted their power, and Sol could only assume they were sleeping to recover their former strength. Her normally healthy peach colored skin was a bit pale, and he knew he would need to find shelter for her to rest a bit. He also needed some rest.

'I'd give her about a week before her power is fully recovered. I'll only need a couple of days. Damn...I need to create another seal. If not, I'll be completely taken over by my true self in two or three weeks from now. Guess it's a good thing she knocked down enough power in me to exhaust it into submission for now.'

Sol thought grimly, speeding up even more. He found himself close to a mountain trail. His eyes darted sharply around for any signs of foot prints, and his nose sniffed out any finer details that might tell him more about his location. Satisfied that it was abandoned, the Gear went deeper within, eyes ever vigilant to finding a cave to shelter himself and Dizzy. He would need to act quickly, because the dark clouds above him held the promise of a coming rain. The air was filled with the scent of rain too. Thunder boomed in the distance soon after, followed by a flash of lightning over one of the peaks. A big storm was coming.

"Fucking great...the last thing I needed."

Sol muttered as he picked up the pace greatly. He found the trail to be heading downward now and proceeded to leap all the way to the very bottom to cut down on running time. The first few drops of rain began to fall when Sol finally eyed a small cave only a few feet off the trail. He proceeded inward as quickly as possible, barely evading the showering droplets falling from the clouds. The Gear let his eyes adjust to the darkness, satisfied that nothing else was living here. He gently placed Dizzy near the back of the cave before heading for the entrance.

'She should be able to stay alive until I get some wood for burning...too bad there weren't that many trees along the way, and they all must be soaked by now. Oh well...'

He shrugged, exiting with his sword slung over his shoulder.

:xXx:

"Another path has been paved within the fabric of time. How interesting..."

A tall middle aged looking man said to himself. His brown hair was combed forward and elegantly trimmed as with his moustache and beard. He wore an expensive looking dark green suit, a red cape hanging over the side of his right shoulder. He took a red handkerchief from the side pocket of his suit, using it to clean off his eyepiece. He placed the eyepiece back over his left eye before folding up the handkerchief neatly and placing it back in his pocket. He let his crimson colored eyes scan the remains of the field that surrounded the Gear Plant, finding nothing but Gear corpses.

"Hmmm...those Humans clean up their own side of the mess quite quickly. Don't you agree, Sharon?"

He spoke smoothly, looking to his side where a young woman with long dark blue hair stood, dressed in a simple but tight fitting red dress. She spoke not a word, her nodding head being her only confirmation of agreeing with him. The man turned away, walking further towards the actual plant itself.

"That musician in red leather has quite a nifty little power, to alter time as she did. I wonder what changes may occur, but I can only wait to see the altered future with my own two eyes. For now, it's best to see what becomes of Sol in this original time. Especially now..."

The man's voice became softer now as he kneeled to the blood soaked earth, catching a red metal fragment in between his fingers. He stood back up, inspecting the piece of metal. It had a large hollow in it as well as a broken leather strap and buckle. It was a part of Sol's headpiece that had been destroyed in the final battle.

"...that he has no choice but keep the beast within him unrestrained. It won't be long before he goes berserk once his power is restored. I wonder if I, the honorable Slayer, should interfere with him again? Hmmm...I suppose there is no rush to do anything at the moment but observe how he and the Half-Gear get along."

Slayer murmured to himself. He extended his hand out in front of him, opening a coffin shaped portal. He turned to Sharon.

"Come along Sharon, let us be off."

He said briskly, allowing Sharon to enter first. He stood there for a moment, looking out to the distance where the clouds were black and overtook most of the night sky in that area.

"I wonder...are they still the hope of the world on this side now that you've been taken to that other time by the red musician?"

He pondered to himself as he turned and walked into the portal.

:xXx:

'Where...?'

Dizzy's eyes opened sluggishly, seeing nothing but a bright red blur. Her eyes took a few seconds before they finally adjusted, noting that the red blur had been a small fire. Her movement was equally sluggish, as she tried get up but only succeeding in crawling away from the fire since her body felt too warm now. She groaned all the way while going to the cave wall, her body feeling sore all over. She sighed in contentment as she felt the cool surface against her skin.

'I'm alive...but...'

She eyed the large piece of cloth she had dragged along her way to the wall, noticing it to be a greatly tattered cape. Her eyes widened in remembrance of the earlier events after she had clashed with Sol. The Gear made his presence known, walking into the light cast by the fire.

"Don't move much. You'll only aggravate that body of your's more."

He said simply. Dizzy's eyes flashed with anger and pure hatred for his being.

"You!"

Before she could say more, he interrupted.

"Don't talk much either. Sleep."

He commanded with a lazy drawl. This only angered Dizzy further, making her forget about her weakened state and the pain that followed. She stood up quickly, headache pounding into her skull.

"Filthy Traitor! How dare you save me from my fate to die amongst my fellow Gears! To be with Mother!"

She spat out, voice echoing off the cave walls, making her voice sound more threatening. Not that Sol was phased by this in the slightest as he already was expecting a verbal hell once she woke up.

"Kill yourself then."

He responded lazily with a small shrug of his shoulders.

"Not before I kill you first for your insolence!"

She spat out, taking a shaky step towards his direction. She already knew, however, that she wasn't fooling anyone. Without her former power regained yet, she did not stand even a ghost of a chance at all against him. He still had enough strength to move more than a couple of steps after all.

"Plenty of time for that later if you can stay alive."

He spoke calmly before turning away, enshrouded in darkness when he left the radius of the fire's light. This signaled the conversation, if one could really call it that, to be concluded. His words made Dizzy simply crumple to the ground.

'Damn him...but there is no denying his words. I swear I will regain the strength I once had and even surpass his own. Only then can I kill him.'

She vowed to herself. Swallowing her pride, she grabbed his tattered cape and used it as a blanket as she kneeled against the cave wall, glaring at the fire. The only comfort of knowing that his helping her was only going to lead to his own downfall.

:ToBeContinued:

Note-It's probably already well known that I'm a fan of Slayer just as much as Sol. The pre battle animations between Order-Sol and Slayer in Guilty Gear XX Slash: The Midnight Carnival also hint that they truly did know about each other even as far back as the Crusades anyway.


	3. Sticks And Stones

Dark Side Of The Moon

Chapter 3: Sticks And Stones

Written By Illuminet

Disclaimer: The Guilty Gear Series is the rightful property of Arc System Works. Some of the characters are being borrowed for non-profit purposes.

"..."-Indicate Speech

'...'-Indicate Thought

:xXx:

"Eat."

This was the awakening Dizzy was presented with the following morning by Sol as a long splintered piece of wood was used as a skewer with cooked meat stabbed onto it was thrust in front of her face. Dizzy glared into his eyes.

"Stop ordering me around! Just leave me alone and let me sleep a while longer."

She sneered, turning her face away from the food held out to her.

"You can sleep later on. Eat now."

He said curtly. With the rain gone and the sun just about to rise into the sky, the cave would be better exposed to the eyes of the Sacred Order. Both Dizzy and himself had to be gone from the area long before then if they were going to survive.

"I'm not hungry."

The Half-Gear refused.

"Eat anyway."

The Gear said to her dully, his countenance remaining devoid of emotions. His presence was causing her anger and discomfort all over again like the night prior.

"What part of -I'm not hungry- does that small brain of your's refuse to understand? Stick it up your ass for all I care!"

She spoke vehemently to him. She refused to allow him to command her like that without a fight. Even if she could technically not match up to him at this point physically. She would not let her mother's killer have the satisfaction that he could control her so easily if hardly at all. Sol was getting annoyed now as well by this point.

"Stop acting your own age and start acting like the age you look and eat the damn thing! Stop misinterpreting my intentions of wanting to control you! You want to stay alive and kill me later? Then you'll eat now."

He spoke, his voice raising ever so slightly due to his annoyance. Dizzy sighed through clenched teeth, hating the Gear standing before her even more because he had such an effective bargaining chip to play against her. Just like the night before, and it forced her to swallow her pride and accept his help and at his own whim rather than her own. So far the control of the situation was completely in his favor and she hated it. Knowing that nothing else was good enough to sway him, she grabbed the skewer roughly from his hand and bit into the meat. Her mind pondered what kind of meat it was she was eating while her eyes cast their sullen glance to his retreating form as he walked out of the cave. Sol could feel her gaze burning into the back of his head but continued to ignore it. Once outside, he took a half used pack of cigarettes from his front pocket.

'She better be quick. Shit...I hate these feelings of uncertainty. I hate not having enough power to possibly escape out of any situation put before my path. I refuse to be a lab rat for the damn Order like Frederick was to that asshole so long ago. She better start to realize that she has little choice but to trust me to keep herself alive for now.'

He thought to himself as he fished a slightly soggy cigarette from the pack. It didn't have much chance to dry from him getting his clothes soaked during the previous night's storm. He didn't really care though and placed the bent nicotine stick into his mouth before bringing the hilt of his large sword to it. A small flame was emitted from the hilt to light the cigarette. Sol felt his mood become slightly lighter as nicotine filled his system, exhaling smoke from his mouth and nostrils. The lazy trail of smoke that rose from the cigarette further calmed him to help him deal with Dizzy and her own bitter mood. He cast a side glance towards the cave as he saw Dizzy walking out of it, noting her to be walking steadily towards him. A small but decent portion of her power had returned in that one night. Not that he ever doubted that. She glared at him through narrowed eyes as she tossed his cape back at him, but they widened in slight surprise, noticing the heavy scars laced across his bare back through the torn coat. They had been created from the large axes the Holy Knights used to cut into his back when he defended her.

'How? How can he heal wounds that large when so much of his own power was exhausted? Me and mother would take a couple of days to fully heal during a weakened state, but he needs less than a day in the same weakened condition? How could a Gear like him have not been known about by us for so long?'

Dizzy pondered to herself, but snapped back to attention when she saw him put his cape back on, obscuring the view of his wounds further.

"Let's go."

He said simply, turning to fully face her. She cast her gaze away from his own.

"...Yeah."

She agreed, refraining from saying some biting comment and starting another argument. It would be at least one more day before she could restore enough power to use her winged systems, so she could not fully defend herself just yet. Knowing the Sacred Order, they probably put bounties on her and Sol's heads. She would need to rely on Sol's power for at least a little while, so she reminded herself that it would only allow her to keep an eye on her enemy and restore enough power to fight back soon enough and destroy him. She could cooperate that long to see her goals met, right? Without anymore words, the two left the trail at a brisk pace. They were almost side by side, but Sol kept ahead in order to defend Dizzy if need be. They traveled for several hours without speaking through a vast plain after the mountain trail ended. Questions burned within Dizzy's mind though, mostly concerning Sol himself. Yet her pride did not allow her to associate with him more than need be, so she remained silent, save for telling him to put out his cigarettes since he smoked them too damn often for her liking. She was ignored each and every time. Sol also did not try and break the ice either with any normal conversation and simply kept walking. He looked up at the sky and finally said something to her now.

"It's noon. This area's too barren. We'll keep going until we find a better place to hide. Gotta reach Zepp in a couple of days at the very latest."

He said. Dizzy's gaze was puzzled.

"The Flying Continent, Zepp? That's far from a smart move and even someone like you should realize that. Zeppian Soldiers are in allegiance with the Sacred Order of Holy Knights. I heard that Zepp's best soldier was killed by Testament. What, you think we can just waltz into a filthy Human city just like that?"

She spoke to him with a condescending tone. Sol grunted in annoyance.

"Whatever. You act as if we're going to take the normal way up there."

He said, puffing away at another cigarette. Dizzy noted it must have been his eighth one since leaving the cave and that he smoked the thing until it was burning in his mouth practically before spitting it out. He had smoked four of them in rapid succession after one was spent completely until finally spreading the intervals of smoking to accommodate the hours they had traveled thus far. It was a habit that was irritating Dizzy, and she already hated his guts more than enough already. She swore he was probably smoking just to irritate her for causing him discomfort during their previous little spats.

"Stop smoking so damn much! Even for a Gear, such a habit isn't good for you."

She shouted at him. He shrugged.

"Ain't happening. Couldn't take a hint the past seven times?"

He asked, a smirk crossing his lips as the cigarette was moved from one side of his mouth to the other. Dizzy glared. Though he never once looked at her direction.

"...Asshole..."

She muttered extremely low, hoping he wouldn't hear it even with his Gear enhanced senses. He obviously did though, because his smirk became a small grin, showcasing his fangs. Yet he continued to be silent again.

"...So anyway...why do we need to risk going to Zepp and exactly what do you need from there so badly?"

She asked. She didn't mean to speak again, but the past three years since she had matured beyond the confines of her age both physically and mentally, she had never had an experience such as this one: a very shaky but still normal conversation. During the war, all interaction she had was done with Justice but it was always business. Never the kind of loving and caring interaction between mother and daughter that she had yearned for. Dizzy blamed it partly on the war, but she also knew that deep down, her mother did not fully accept her. She was half of Justice's kind, but tainted by the other half that was Justice's enemy. This was the gap that separated her from the other Gears as well she believed at first, but all Gears were controlled by Justice and that understanding allowed Dizzy to realize that she was never fully accepted. Confusion always burned in her as to who her Human father was, but more importantly, why Justice even might have a Human fling and conceived her if she was only half. She had asked that once then, but Justice said that the Half-Gear's creation was not her own idea, but of the Gear Creator himself. When he had been captured and imprisoned by the Gears, Dizzy wanted to get answers straight from his mouth, but the Crusades came first. Sol's name began to spread amongst the Gears and their constant defeat at his hands. That's when Justice took to the front lines to end the supposed Human's life, only to end up being killed herself. Even if Dizzy was not fully accepted, she still had love for her mother because Justice did claim her to be useful with her ability to revive a good portion of dead Gears since the Humans numbers were so many in comparison to the Gears. This was the reason Dizzy continued to love Justice and fight for the Gears, knowing that her fate would probably be far better then with the Humans who would shun her for her Gear side and give her no chance at survival. Only near the end of the war did she get a chance to see That Man, though she had no plans of learning who her father was at the time anymore he had told her anyway, muttering to himself that she was the daughter of Justice and a Human he had known quite well. She had only gotten a name, but then Zepp's military, the Jellyfish Pirates, the Sacred Order, and most importantly, Sol, had shown up and she swore to avenge her mother's death. So much for that plan when she felt the power of a Gear coursing through him and realized what he was, which brought her hate for him to an all new high because he was betraying his own kind all along. Back to the present, though, Sol began to speak before his eyes narrowed and his head darted to make a side glance behind the way he and Dizzy had been traveling.

"Shit! Run!"

He ordered as he grabbed her arm and hauled her with him before she herself had a chance to see what he had seen.

:ToBeContinued:

Note-This chapter feels a little too slow for my liking. Probably because this isn't an all out action fic with a pretty straight forward plot as I'm used to doing for my Guilty Gear stories, and more of a focus on what kind of relation is going to be built between Sol and Dizzy instead. Or could just be that my writing skills suck and so, by extension, this chapter sucked...if so, I apologize.


	4. Dogs On The Run

Dark Side Of The Moon

Chapter 4: Dogs On The Run

Written By Illuminet

Disclaimer: The Guilty Gear series is the rightful property of Arc System Works. Some of the characters are being borrowed for non-profit purposes.

"..."-Indicate Speech

'...'-Indicate Thought

:xXx:

"Stop dragging your feet!"

Sol spoke fiercely.

"These are heels I'm wearing! I can't run in them for very long, you fucking jerk!"

Dizzy growled, anger and annoyance laced in her voice as she tried to rip herself free from Sol's awkward grasp on her arm. Sol muttered something too low for her to make out before he released her arm, swinging his arm down to wrap around her waist. He hauled her across his shoulder like a sack of potatoes, arm lowering to lock under her knees to keep her supported. Dizzy wanted to protest, but was able to see what it was that Sol had caught sight of: Holy Knights. They were mounted on horses, jousting lances at the ready. Not being at full strength, Sol could not outrun the galloping steeds or their riders.

"Badguy, you son of a bitch! I'll avenge my brother's death!"

One of the Knights spoke as he made his horse gallop ahead of the team, lance aimed at Sol's back.

"He's attacking..."

Dizzy warned from her vantage point, but Sol dove low to the ground already, letting the Knight's lance pass right over him. A pillar of fire jutted from the ground that Sol passed by, the explosive force piercing the Knight cleanly through the chest. The dead Knight fell from the horse, and Sol tossed Dizzy onto it.

"Get to that forest! Hurry!"

Sol spoke and pointed to the forest area just over the horizon as he skidded to a stop in his tracks, turning around to intercept the other Knights. The Knights attacked Sol simultaneously, but Sol hefted his large sword in front of him to defend himself as he dug his shoes into the dirt, forcing the Knights off of their horses to land to the earth with heavy thuds. Sol slammed his sword down in a massive arc, cleaving a Knight's head from his neck. The Gear turned to evade a recovered Knight's attack as he rushed forward with his lance. Sol thrust the hilt of his blade at the Knight's stomach, flames erupting from it and blowing the Knight and his lance in two.

'Better take care of this quickly. The reinforcements are on their way.'

Sol thought to himself, eyeing the small army heading towards him from the direction of the mountain pass. Another Knight that recovered swung his lance down in an attempt to bash Sol's head in, but Sol evaded the attack and rushed towards the Knight with his fist reared back. Sol struck the Knight with enough power in his fist to make the Knight's head twist back, his neck snapping in the process. The Gear looked towards Dizzy to make sure she was doing as instructed. The Half-Gear was a newcomer to horse back riding and it showed in the way she controlled the horse's movements, making a jagged path towards the forest. She was doing a progressively better job of aiming the horse with more straight forward precision in the right direction. Dizzy was at a good ten miles away from the forest when she caught sight of the black shadow that hovered over it. She gasped upon seeing a Zeppian airship descending from the clouds. She pulled the horse's reins, steering it away from the airship.

"Damn...an airship like that would be no problem for me in any other situation!"

Dizzy muttered to herself. The Airship fired a missile down at her, but she was able to move the horse quick enough to evade the missile itself but not the explosion that followed after and threw her far into the air before she skidded across the ground with her side. She rolled a few feet before finally coming to a stop. Dizzy was slightly dazed but managed to get up partially. The airship already had a lock on her and fired another missile, one she knew she would not be able to evade in time.

"...Fucking great..."

Sol said to himself as he ripped the best preserved clothes off some of the Knights, knowing they would be useful in patching up his own clothing later, before rushing straight for Dizzy's direction. His emblem began to glow faintly, the blood in his body filling with adrenaline as his legs took him even faster and faster. He was by Dizzy in a few short minutes, tossing the clothes over her before rushing past to intercept the rapidly descending missile. Flames gathered in his empty palm as he propelled himself towards the large projectile, his feet gliding off the ground ever so slightly. The explosion that ensued with the collision between the missile and Sol's flame covered hand was impressive, and Sol used the force to propel him back towards Dizzy. He jammed his large sword into the ground before crushing Dizzy's body between himself and the blunt side of the blade to protect her from the roaring flames. A large plume of black smoke filled the sky.

:xXx:

"Anything?"

A Knight asked one of the soldiers of the Zeppian army. The soldier saluted the Knight before speaking.

"Negative. Their bodies could very well likely have been obliterated into nothingness or..."

The soldier was interrupted by the Knight.

"...They may have found a way to escape during the cover of the explosion."

The Knight said.

"Being Gears, the possibility is likely that they did survive and escape. None of their charred remains have been found after all. Should we scout further from this location?"

The soldier asked. The Knight shook his head.

"We'll take care of this. Had it not been for Zepp's interference at this moment we may have had the two of them in our grasp already."

The Knight said, scowling at the soldier. The soldier's eyes narrowed slightly, but he smirked all the same.

"You really think so? I've not seen this Sol Badguy before today, but he is the very one who defeated Justice single handedly when entire platoons of Knights could not do such things, correct? You really think you could have apprehended him without any other help, eh?"

The soldier shot back. If his retort phased the Knight any further, it was not revealed. The Knight simply turned away.

"Whatever the case may be, everyone must still wonder as to why he never sided with Justice in the beginning...no Gear has been able to freely refuse the will of Justice save for him...is he really and truly a Gear? Or is he beyond one?"

The Knight spoke more to himself than the soldier. The soldier sighed.

"Those reasons are most likely why we are all ordered to bring him back to the United Nations, dead or alive. After the episode of Justice's rebellion a hundred years ago, I would think the world leaders would no longer want to dabble in the reproduction of the Gears again. It's ironic enough that the fate of the Human race was on the brink of extinction by a Gear and yet is saved by a Gear at the same time."

The soldier spoke, making the Knight chuckle.

"True. But as you said, we all have our orders. This is the only way for some of us to make our living, so we have no choice but to keep chase, or the responsibility will be put to others while we are left to starve."

He said.

:xXx:

At the bottom of the Zeppian airship's cargo bay, an injured Sol and Dizzy hid amongst the crates and oil drums. Dizzy had only suffered a few minor burns, but Sol had received vicious cuts from flying debris that his sword did not guard against as well as deep burns. Dizzy scowled in his direction.

"Was this your great plan to reach Zepp?"

She asked sarcastically. Sol shrugged.

"A bit of improvision...hadn't expected those Knights or the airship to be so close to our location. Wanted to stowaway on an airship without much of a fight but...oh well."

He muttered. Dizzy only got angered further by his disregarding attitude.

"If you want to die so badly, do it on your own terms, not both of ours. Besides, your life is going to be ended by my hands, not at your own whims. You better not be so reckless as you were today."

Dizzy ordered darkly. Sol did not respond verbally to this and instead ripped off the top part of his knight uniform to expose his torso. Dizzy was going to protest, but could only stare in awe at his body, marred with scars so large and deep no normal person or Gear would be able to handle them and stay alive for very long. The fresh cuts gained by the explosion were mostly on his arms and legs were already rapidly closing, some of the larger injuries leaving small scars on his skin. Any words that would leave Dizzy's mouth had died before hand. Sol kept his head low, arm supporting his sword against his shoulder. He removed that part of his clothes because they were starting to annoy him, but his body was also like his unspoken response that he already knew the limits of his body's pain tolerance and that she did not need to worry about him dying anytime soon. It also made Dizzy realize even further the difference in power between them.

'Was he only toying with me all along?'

She pondered to herself, wondering how much power he really did still possess in that battered body of his. When they had fought at the Gear Plant, he never even really tried to harm her physically, instead exhausting her tremendous magic power with his own magic power. She was becoming slightly more unsure in her abilities to take him down now. Sol finally spoke a few small words to break her free from her thoughts.

"Don't talk if you don't want to be discovered."

:ToBeContinued:

Note-A little bit of action in this chapter, but more of Dizzy's building curiosity towards the Gear that is Sol. This chapter could be better, but I'll have to edit later on in life sometime. I forgot to answer some reviewers questions in the last chapter so I'll do so now:

To zed21: As far as I know, Order-Sol's sword doesn't have a name. It just looks like a crudely made sword that is akin to a large cleaver in some aspects of it's appearance. Not nearly as big as Kliff's Dragon Slayer sword, of course. I think it does look cooler than that other single blade sword Order-Sol is drawn with in one of the Mission Mode pictures though, but that's just me.

To Raven6: Guilty Gear XX Slash: The Midnight Carnival is Japanese only so far and must be imported. To play it would require having a Japanese Playstation 2 console as well. I don't know if a U.S. release is being made or not.

To Raven6/kireta: You both have similar questions regarding Drama CDs Side Red and Side Black. I listened to them long ago, so my knowledge is a bit foggy, but bits and hints about them will be dropped during later chapters, so all I ask is that you bear with me until then. If by near the end of the story you both still have questions about them, I'll try and clarify with a brief recap of both Drama CDs.


	5. Keeper Of The Unknown

Dark Side Of The Moon

Chapter 5: Keeper Of The Unknown

Written By Illuminet

Disclaimer: The Guilty Gear Series is the rightful property of Arc System Works. Some of the characters are being borrowed for non-profit purposes.

"..."-Indicate Speech

'...'-Indicate Thought

:xXx:

Dizzy awoke in darkness. Her eyes adjusted quickly, however, and she felt protrusions wiggling about on her back. The Half-Gear was glad to finally have her wings and tail in functioning order even if they did lack their former power. She at least stood more of a fighting chance than a couple of days prior. She noticed Sol's body sitting amongst the crates. She stood up soundlessly.

'He's helpless...strike now Dizzy! Avenge the rest of the Gears! Avenge mother!'

She heard the raspy voice of Necro fill her mind.

'Even if we did...his power will save him. We are all too weak as it stands, Necro. We must preserve our lives long enough to regain full power.'

The silky voice of Undine followed with reason. Dizzy aimed her palm toward Sol's direction, pondering which action was best, because both voices rung validly true. The Gear's head lifted up slightly as his crimson and gold multicolored eyes opened to stare into her own.

"So...you've gained the partial strength of your other limbs."

Sol grunted out, speaking without a hint of tiredness in his voice, making Dizzy wonder if he had slept at all. His eyes moved down to face her palm. If he knew what she was thinking about doing, he didn't show it and closed his eyes and lowered his head again. She lowered her hand, knowing that it was best to wait for now until her power was regained. She turned away from him, focusing on stretching her other senses to see how well they faired since they had been blunted with her diminished power as well.

"We are closing in on a large mass. It must be Zepp...which means we'll be landing soon."

She said, using her advanced hearing. Sol nodded softly but otherwise remained silent. Dizzy sat back down across from him.

"You never did answer my question as to why we're going here due to that interference back on land. Care to explain yourself now?"

Dizzy whispered to him, knowing to keep her voice as low as possible to avoid detection since the two of them would be on enemy territory for quite some time.

"...You'll know soon enough..."

Sol muttered, his lazy speech pattern angering Dizzy. She simply scoffed at him and turned away. It was as he said though, she'd know soon enough.

:xXx:

"Keep searching."

Sol instructed of Dizzy, while he himself kept rummaging through a landfill of old world technology, known as Blacktech. Now considered nothing more than junk, only Zepp held the remnants of what remained of the scientific advancement of technology before the study of magic took over. Sol and Dizzy had stealthily made their way to one of the many massive junkyards that covered the floating Zepp's surface.

"I don't get it...when it comes to everything else you don't seem to care at all, but when it comes to finding a piece of red metal it seems to mean the world to you. Why do you need to find a replacement piece for your forehead anyway? The world already knows you're a Gear so hiding your emblem is not going to help you in the slightest."

She told him, already deducing his need to find a piece of red metal. She had found many already, but when she showed him, he would simply say it wasn't the right one. He even let her hold onto his vest and told her to search fo a metal that was specifically the same color. It had already been a couple of hours, and Dizzy was barely searching at all anymore, being more intent on watching the clouds or watching the city in the far distance with specks of people milling about on the streets.

'What's his real purpose for finding a metal the same color as his clothing? There seems to be a more serious reason then just simply a fashion statement. Unless...!'

Dizzy's eyes widened when realization hit her. She was about to talk to Sol but caught sight of a woman in a tight red dress.

"A human...?"

Dizzy spoke out, surprised that she and Sol may have been snuck up on. The Gear turned his head to regard the woman upon hearing Dizzy speak. The woman held a slab of metal formed in the shape of Sol's old headpiece.

"Your Sharon...then...!"

The Gear's eyes shown with anger for the first time to Dizzy as she saw him hop off the junk pile and land in front of her.

"Damn Bastard!"

Sol spoke, before rushing at Sharon with a flame gauntlet arm. A coffin shaped portal appeared before Sharon, and Slayer the Vampire came through it, fist aimed at Sol's hand. The attacks met with a sound that rivaled the clap of thunder. Sol followed up with a vicious downward swipe of his sword, which was deflected by Slayer's rising foot. Sol ended with a powerful flaming uppercut while Slayer ended with a downward punch that generated a black flame to counter Sol's own fire. Slayer teleported away as Sol hopped back. The Vampire adjusted the tie of his suit.

"It's not very chivalric to attack a defenseless woman, Sol."

Slayer said smoothly, smoke exiting from his pipe. Sol stepped forward bringing his arm swinging in front of him before bringing his extended arm forward towards Slayer with a -thumbs down- motion.

"I already knew you would come out to protect your bitch. What the fuck are you doing here anyway? Going to interfere, old man?"

The Gear spoke with an angered tone as he got into his lazy fighting stance. Slayer smirked slightly

"And if I indeed am going to meddle in your affairs? What are you planning to do, Sol?"

The Vampire inquired. Sol's eyes flashed dangerously.

"I'll kick your ass!"

Sol threatened as he twisted his body around so his back was to Slayer and he performed an odd but powerful thrust of his giant sword towards Slayer's head. Slayer teleported out of harms way, appearing in front of the Gear.

"Hmmm...Quite rash of you when your not even at full strength. What are your plans for the Half-Gear, Sol? Why do you allow her to stay by your side?"

The Vampire asked calmly. Sol sneered.

"The fuck should you care what I do with her? Didn't we have an agreement not to interfere with one another over a hundred years ago? Mind your own business, old man."

The Gear spat out.

"I indeed would stop...if only you ceased to do so many intriguing things with your life thus far, Sol."

Slayer said, a small grin on his face. Meanwhile, Dizzy had her own thoughts concerning the newcomers.

'These people's auras...they aren't Human, yet they aren't Gears either. What are they? The traitor said he's known this strange man for over a hundred years. Mother was born over a hundred years ago...are they closer in age to one another than I ever thought possible? That must be wrong! He would have surely been under Mother's control then. How...?'

Dizzy continued to ponder about the enigmatic Gear himself more than what his plans might be for her instead as he brought his sword forward in a high slash to hit Slayer's head again, only to have Slayer teleport away again. He was definitely toying with Sol from what Dizzy could see. It seemed that the strange man and Sol had an all together shaky past with one another. Slayer's presence alone seemed to make Sol come alive with emotions, and the Vampire's words only fueled anger and annoyance the likes of which she would never thought to have been possible to see in the fairly taciturn Gear.

"Why don't you quit before I reduce you to ash, old man!"

Sol grunted as he charged up his power slightly before thrusting his sword into the ground, sending a semi large wave of fire in Slayer's direction. It actually caught the Vampire, the last flame sending Slayer flying. He twirled rapidly in the air, smiting out the flames before they could burn his clothing. His suit was now slightly charred upon landing.

"Oh, so you do have enough power to catch me by surprise still. Interesting...Truly interesting, Sol."

Slayer said with an amused tone, hands clapping in praise. Sol only looked more annoyed. He was about to attack when he heard a feint noise.

"Shit...if only you didn't interfere, old man! Seems the guard patrol is back."

Sol spoke, his right eye twitching in annoyance. Slayer removed his cape.

"Then let us continue this pleasing conversation elsewhere."

He said as he tossed his cape into the air, letting it stay opened. Dizzy could have sworn there were eyes at the top of the cape.

"Ladies first."

Slayer spoke politely. Sharon already went through the cape, but Dizzy looked questioningly towards Sol. The Gear only grunted and nodded. Dizzy decided to follow suit and walked into the cape. Sol walked toward it next, but before going in Slayer spoke to him.

"The Half-Gear is quite the catch, don't you agree?"

Slayer said with a hint of humor in his voice. Sol growled low in his throat like a feral animal.

"Shut the hell up! Tch! Annoying old man..."

He retorted before walking through. Slayer shrugged.

"Heh, defensive aren't we?"

He said softly with amusement before walking into the cape as well. A few seconds later, the cape closed in on itself as it too disappeared.

:ToBeContinued:

Note-I always enjoy writing Sol and Slayer interactions because Slayer seems like one of the few people who could truly get a rise out of Sol. There's more interaction between the two of them rather than Sol and Dizzy unlike the other chapters, but oh well. It makes a nice change of pace, I suppose. Although I had fun writing this chapter, I still don't think it turned out all that good. The creator is always his/her own worst critic though.


	6. Pillars Of The Underworld

Dark Side Of The Moon

Chapter 6: Pillars Of The Underworld

Written By Illuminet

Disclaimer: The Guilty Gear series is the rightful property of Arc System Works. Some of the characters are being borrowed for non-profit purposes.

"..."-Indicate Speech

'...'-Indicate Thought

:xXx:

"Welcome to my castle."

Slayer said. Everyone stood in a barren looking courtyard with a large glyph like symbol carved into the hard earth. There was a creepy looking armored skeleton standing behind it, as if guarding the symbol. Tattered banners hung from the wall, and even though they swayed as if being moved by the wind, no sound of wind or the swishing of the banners could be heard. Even as everything was strewn in pale golden light from the sun, Dizzy could not shake the feeling of foreboding from Slayer's castle.

"Keh...you still live in this dump of a rock."

Sol said, his large sword hefted over his shoulder. He did not seem effected by the strange atmosphere in the slightest.

'Wait, he said that the strange man still lives here, so he must have been here long enough to get used to this place. Where is this castle located anyway? I've never seen a place like this during the Crusades and our Gear conquest.'

Dizzy pondered to herself.

"By the way Ms. Dizzy, I did not have enough time to introduce myself back on Zepp. My name is Slayer. Perhaps you've heard of it before?"

Slayer said as he bowed politely to the Half-Gear, taking her hand and kissing the back of it. His customs and manners were definitely old, older than he himself seemed. Dizzy pondered his name.

"Slayer...? Before the Assassin's Guild pulled out of the war because the Order could not keep funding their services, I'd heard that a man by the same name founded the Guild in ancient times. You could be the same person if you've lived to be a hundred years old. What are you by the way?"

Dizzy's curiosity got the better of her. Slayer smirked, his pipe upturning a bit in his mouth from the action.

"Me? I'm an exception to the world of Humans, much like yourself and Sol. I am usually referred to as a Nightwalker. Not the most polite or correct of terms, but it will do for now."

The Vampire said.

"So Vampires really did exist at one time and it would seem they still do...you and that woman Sharon are proof of that. How did you meet with the traitor...? I mean, Sol."

The Half-Gear asked. Slayer stroked his beard in thought.

"Well, my wife isn't the same race as myself, but she is immortal. As for Sol...you might want to ask him yourself. But that time is not now..."

Slayer mentioned as he turned to face Sol.

"Sol, I want to discuss some matters of importance to you in private. If you'll stay here for the night, I'll give you the new seal my wife holds, and she can create a spare uniform from the knight clothing you stole the previous day."

He said to the Gear. Sol scoffed.

"Bastard...were you spying on me and the girl after the war? You've got a lot a nerve."

Sol drawled out, fist tightening over his sword's handle. Slayer shrugged.

"You refuse? Even knowing what it would mean?"

Slayer asked, though already knowing there was not much Sol could use to argue against him with, and the Gear knew it.

"...Asshole. Get it over with old man, I've got other things to do."

Sol said curtly as he walked into the castle, already knowing his way around anyway. Slayer turned to Sharon.

"Dear, please give me the seal, and please show Ms. Dizzy to a nice spare room."

The Vampire instructed of his wife before heading into the castle, already knowing Sol would be heading into the castle's study room. Sharon began walking in another direction, waving Dizzy over.

"Why can't I be allowed to hear the conversation as well?"

Dizzy asked the Vampire's wife. Sharon did not let a word out, and continued walking away with a reluctant Dizzy following behind since she could get lost in a castle this big when it was her first time in the area.

:xXx:

Slayer sat down in a tall red padded chair, opposite of Sol who sat in a similar chair.

"Are you ready to be listen now?"

Slayer asked. Sol muttered irritably in a low tone of voice. Slayer held the red headpiece up in his hand, watching as the Gear's mismatched eyes focused on it.

"...Make this quick."

Sol let out a deep sigh as he stared at the Vampire.

"After the death of Justice you were imparted with knowledge of That Man, your creator. You seek him out now, correct?"

Slayer mentioned. Sol shrugged.

"...So? What's it to you?"

He said with another sigh.

"He was a prisoner at the Gear Plant that the red musician, a woman named I-No, found the coordinates for after killing the once famous Dr. Baldhead."

Slayer continued on. Sol's eye twitched.

"WHAT!"

The Gear roared, voice echoing off the walls. He clenched the right side arm rest of his chair so tightly it broke into splintered pieces. Slayer remained calm, though noting that Sol's crimson eye retracted a bit as the pupil became a vertical slit with an animalistic gleam. The right side of Sol's gritted teeth shown with overly large set of fangs. Even the right side of his body altered slightly, small veins appearing across his skin until they reached his right hand, altering his finger nails into an impressive set of claws. The splintered wood still caught in his fist burned to ash.

"You've nearly recovered all your power, Sol. But you know it won't be enough even if you decide to attack me."

Slayer said. Sol calmed down, his features returning to normal. He leaned into his chair further, taking a cigarette from his pocket and lighting it with his sword to remain calm and remind himself that Slayer wasn't his enemy. Just an exceedingly annoying old man in Sol's eyes.

"Keep talking. I doubt he's still there?"

The Gear asked. Slayer shook his head.

"No, he isn't. I-No snuck into the plant while you were battling with Dizzy and met with him. Apparently, his charisma was enough to win her favor and she aided him in his escape. I predict that she is probably still with him because she finds him interesting."

The Vampire informed. Sol snorted in disgust.

"Shit. I knew I should have killed that crazy bitch when I had the chance. Where's she stashing him at?"

He asked. Slayer looked amused, stroking his moustache.

"No...it's not where, Sol, but when."

:ToBeContinued:

Note-Sorry about this update coming in so late. Sol and Slayer interaction continues in this chapter, but that's a given considering the previous chapter. This chapter and the next one are going to unfortunately be very slow paced, with a lot of dialogue and information to be digested, but hopefully remain interesting none the less.


	7. Revelations

Dark Side Of The Moon

Chapter 7: Revelations

Written By Illuminet

Disclaimer: The Guilty Gear Series is the rightful property of Arc System Works. Some of the characters are being borrowed for non-profit purposes.

"..."-Indicate Speech

'...'-Indicate Thought

:xXx:

"When...? You make it sound as if the bitch could travel through time."

Sol said, his tone would have been disbelieving except for the fact that he did know of a man named Axl Low who could hop the borders of time but not at his own leisure.

"I make it sound as such because it is true. She has that power to ascend to the future or descend to the past of a given history. And what she has done...changed the course of a past that has now spawned into an all new time line."

Slayer spoke, his face becoming dead serious, and Sol knew that he was not being toyed with by the Vampire. Not this time.

"Keep talking."

The Gear prompted. Slayer nodded.

"Of course, but I'd rather add some flare in order for you to grasp more easily what it is of this other time line I have seen. Though mind you, they are but simple glimpses as of right now."

Slayer stated, standing up from his chair and throwing his cape in front of him. He once again walked into the fabric of large cape as in remained suspended in the air.

"What kind of trick are you pulling here, old man? You have the ability to see into alternate times?"

Sol asked, standing up from his own seat. He was about to pull his sword free from the ground when Slayer's voice came to him from the dark confines of the cape.

"You'll see. No need for weapons though, Sol. There is no need for fighting where I'm about to take you."

The Vampire said. Sol grunted, pondering what he should do. After a couple of moments, his hand released from the hilt of his blade and he walked steadily into the cape.

:xXx:

"This is...The Battle Of Rome. Where that damn boy scout got himself killed for his petty beliefs."

Sol muttered as he looked around the remains of what had once been a thriving city. Slayer was behind him.

"Watch carefully Sol."

The Vampire said. Sol did so as he saw a bloodied Ky send a massive Gear through the wall with the Thunder Seal's amplified magic. The Holy Knight wobbled, planting his sword into the ground for leverage. Quick reflexes saved him as he intercepted another Gear with the Thunder Seal. The loss of blood was starting to make him weak however, and the Gear was pushing him back.

"Are you...my destroyer? God...by your grace, please save my future! Holy Order's ultimate attack...SPIKE VOLTAGE!"

Ky sent the Gear flying in pieces as large bolts of lightning rend it's flesh apart. Ky clattered to his knees, coughing up blood. His eyes darted around him, seeing the remaining Gears lurking in the shadows that had slain his comrades. It would only be a matter of time before he joined his fellows in the afterlife. He grabbed the golden cross bound to the necklace that hovered over his heart at all times, kissing the holy symbol as he kept praying for God's divine help. Sol peered at the young man in disgust.

"This was your last moments, boy? Still believing in some God? God doesn't exist. If such an entity did, you think the world wouldn't be dying from all the parasites that inhabit it? You think Gears like me would even exist or have a place in this world? We are the symbols of you Humans folly after all, symbols that show all that is wrong with this planet. You couldn't even grow a true head and think for yourself even in your last moments. Just like that fuck up, Frederick..."

Sol growled low in his throat. Ky was about to be pounced on and killed by a Gear that had spotted him, except he was saved as a guitar string wrapped around it's neck, slashing it's head clean off from the rest of it's body.

"Ah, found you!"

Came I-No's sultry voice. Ky only stared in awe at the mysterious woman. Sol's eyes widened in surprise.

"Ms. I-No...your over here. Hurry and leave before your life is put on the line!"

Ky warned, seeing the other Gears approach I-No from behind. The woman just smirked as she spared a half glance at the incoming enemies.

"I'll make you all scream..."

She said as her voice became deathly low. She swung her guitar as Gears tried to team up on her, her strikes so powerful that they shattered the Gears bones and made them scream, just as she wanted. Ky was awed at her power. The mangled bodies of Gears were strewn around after I-No was done with them. She turned to the Holy Knight then.

"It's been ten year, boy!"

She said to him with a grin. Ky was now severely confused.

"What?"

He asked, mouth hanging agape at her words. I-No only smiled sweetly, cradling his head in her hands as she stared deep into his eyes.

"Just forget about me."

And with that she was gone, leaving a dazed Ky where he stood, having not recalled what had just occurred. Sol narrowed his eyes.

"What did she just do? Their bodies were glowing..."

The Gear muttered.

"She removed the part of his memory of when he met her. He now no longer even knows that she ever existed."

Slayer said. Sol was about to speak when another voice just like his own could be heard.

"Shit. Where'd that idiot get off to? Trash, get out of the way! TYRANT RAVE!"

Another large Gear was sent through a wall with massive fire ball burning it to a crisp. Ky turned to meet Order-Sol.

"Sol..."

The Holy knight said. Order-Sol looked at Ky for a bit before his eyes treaded over to the dead gears lying by the Holy Knight's feet.

"You did this...?"

He asked, almost disbelieving. Ky also looked towards the bodies.

"Yeah...I guess so."

He said, though not remembering ever killing this many Gears by himself before. Order-Sol just shrugged.

"Whatever. No need to fiddle around with a place that's a lost cause. Let's get out of here."

He said as he turned around.

"Uh...yeah..."

Ky spoke softly, as if he came out of a trance. Order-Sol was annoyed now.

"Stop drifting off in your head, boy scout. Let's move out."

The two knights left the scene, retreating from Rome.

"So she saved him...yeah that would change some things."

The Gear said to himself. Slayer nodded.

"Indeed."

The scene faded to black.

"Now what?"

Sol asked, looking around. Slayer didn't speak, the scene changing to a barren wasteland. Well it would have been barren save for the fact that Human and Gear bodies covered the ground.

"So how many times have we met now?"

A recognizable old man's voice spoke. Sol turned around to see that it was indeed Kliff Undersn who had a large Gear impaled with his massive Dragon Slayer sword, looking very short when standing almost side by side with Justice.

"The seventeenth."

Justice spoke, a Holy Knight impaled through the head with a bladed hand. She tossed the dead body aside as Kliff did the same thing by swinging the Dragon Slayer in a circular motion to send the dead Gear body flying.

"Very well...then today, I'll end this Holy War!"

And with that, Kliff rushed towards Justice, swinging the massive Dragon Slayer in a huge arc. Justice brought her bladed hand up to block the attack, the force making her slide a couple of feet back as sparks flew from the contact. Kliff growled deeply as he kept pushing Justice back, but the Commander Gear gained her complete footing and deflected the sword away from her as she tried to cut into the Old Knight's flesh with her talons. Kliff used the momentum of the deflected attack to propel himself out of harms way, swinging the blade upwards through the ground to almost strike Justice from underneath had she not reacted quickly enough to jump high into the air to evade. She used her thrusters to descend on the Old Knight quickly, and Kliff tried futilely to swat her out of the air before his back gave out, leaving him defenseless.

"Damn..."

Kliff spoke out as he felt sharp claws penetrate his back. He was spun around quickly, being slashed through his stomach as Justice kept up her offense. Soon he tumbled to the ground, already so near death due to his extensive injuries. Justice crossed her arms together, huffing with satisfaction as the Kliff lay still, breathing shallow.

"Why do you keep believing that you and your kind and win? Especially with that decaying body of yours."

The Commander Gear said, sneering down at the Old Knight from behind her helmet. Kliff laughed brokenly, though the fire of defiance still gleamed in his aged eyes.

"Why, you ask? Because there are others who will follow me."

Kliff said. A young Holy Knight's voice rang in the distance.

"COMMANDER KLIFF!"

A massive blade of pure lightning was heading swiftly in Justice's direction, and she jumped back to evade. Kliff donned a smile then, seeing Ky running across the field.

"There are those who will take both my techniques and spirit! They will be passed down long after I am gone...from generation to generation. That is the power of us Humans."

Kliff said, not a trace of doubt in his mind about the words he spoke. He died with a peaceful expression on his visage as his eyes closed for the final time. Ky was by his side too late. The Holy Knight growled deeply in his throat as he turned to face the Commander Gear that had slain his master.

"You...are Justice."

The descriptions were enough to identify her for him. Ky took his fighting stance as he held his left hand in front of him, right hand holding the Thunder Seal over his head as his legs spread an equal length apart. His bluish green eyes shown with his intense hatred. Justice was satisfied with those eyes and said as much.

"Those are good eyes...eyes that know only of battle and nothing more."

Justice spoke with her insight, angering Ky further and fueling his hatred even more.

"Don't joke around and spout such nonsense at me!"

He said as he rushed towards her. Justice's golden eyes gleamed.

"I don't intend to lose to one such as yourself either."

She said as she jumped back to evade a long thrust. Ky ran to the side to dodge a downward strike of her Michael Sword. She twisted her arm around to attack his retreating form. Ky grunted as he raised the Thunder Seal to guard. The force of her attack sent him toppling over dead bodies. He recovered quickly, only to find a fire bomb aimed directly in his face courtesy of Justice. Before it exploded, he erected a barrier to prevent any harm to his body. He then shot a Stun Edge in the Commander Gear's direction, but Justice back flipped, her tail sending a wall of electricity to halt the attack. She rushed towards him with her thrusters, claws at the ready to tear him apart. The Holy Knight intercepted her attacks with swift strikes of his blade to halt her incoming offense. Justice proved to be too overpowering when fought alone. Ky wasn't sure what else he could do.

"You seem to be having trouble, young Knight."

Justice claimed. Ky's features hardened with determination. He held his sword in both hands, letting electricity course through the blade.

"I will end this. All I need is one strike..."

Ky spoke as he closed his eyes. Justice looked quizzically at him.

"One strike, you say? Show me."

She said, crossing her arms and waiting. Her arms moved outward not of her own free will, surprising her. She realized she was stuck to an electric blue cross. Ky had gather enough power to pin her in place! His eyes opened, shining.

"True power..."

He murmured as he aimed the Thunder Seal in Justice's direction as she struggled with her bonds. Lightning gathered into his sword, forming a large aura blade.

"RISING FORCE!"

Ky thrust the massive attack directly at Justice's heart. The ensuing explosion was so bright Sol and Slayer had to cover their eyes. When everything dimmed back to normal, Ky leaned heavily forward, having used so much power. His body didn't relax just yet though.

"...Where is the body?"

Ky was now frantic. His attack would not have left much, but it should still have left some evidence of a dead being. He saw a bright light heading in his direction out of the corner of his eye. Ky erected another barrier to deal with Justice's Gamma Ray. His body was too weak to keep up his protection as his vision became a blur. Luckily the massive death beam had halted. The earth was carved with a massive heated scar from Justice's attack, many bodies caught in the line of it already disintegrated to ash. Everything went black again. Sol scowled.

"What the hell happened? Did the boy bite the dust just then?"

He asked as he looked to Slayer. The Vampire shook his head.

"He only fell unconscious. He apparently survives the Crusades, just so you know."

Slayer mentioned. Sol was about to ask something else when the two were brought to yet another location. Dead bodies littered the ground once more, but were neither Human or Gear. It made Sol feel recognition as he peered at the remains of fallen dragons, most of which were badly mutilated. Fresh fire still ravaged the area. Sol knelt down to inspect a dragon that's head had been cleaved off as it still writhed a little. He was about to say something to Slayer when he heard the mechanical footsteps that could only belong to Justice.

"Such a merciless enemy."

She said softly, talking to herself.

"Humans are a much more battle oriented race than Gears. But perhaps that was our purpose after all..."

She kept saying.

"Researching battle techniques to breed us for war...perhaps so that they would not destroy themselves..."

Her Gear emblem shown on her forehead now.

"...Such a cynical view, isn't it, Corrupted Flame?"

She finished. Sol was surprised to hear her call him by his nickname. He thought Slayer said these were simply visions that could not react with them. Before he could say anything, someone else spoke for him.

"I've had enough tedious talk."

It was his own voice again. Sol turned to see something he missed: A man using a dead dragon's body as a seat. A large red cloak kept most of his body from view, but Sol recognized the rectangular bladed sword that the man's gloved hand rested upon which was impaled through the dragon's back. The voice was also a give away as to who this person was.

'The other me...it has to be.'

The Gear thought to himself. Alternate-Sol's grip tightened around the handle of the Fire Seal sword.

"Let's go!"

:ToBeContinued:

Note: Sorry for the delay. Slayer is showing these visions to Sol for an ulterior purpose of course of which will truly be witnessed in the next chapter. No actual time traveling is involved, and are only glimpses based on the plot of some of Drama CD Side Black and the normal game's story. Sol and Dizzy interactions will once again pick up in the next chapter also. I apologize for things moving so slowly.


	8. Vortex Infinitum

Dark Side Of The Moon

Chapter 8: Vortex Infinitum

Written By Illuminet

Disclaimer: The Guilty Gear series is the rightful property of Arc System Works. Some of the characters are being borrowed for non-profit purposes.

"..."-Indicate Speech

'...'-Indicate Thought

:xXx:

"I hope you prove a better challenge than those worthless Knights, Corrupted Flame. This is quite the opportunity for me to face such a fearsome foe...that is, if the rumors of your power hold true."

Justice claimed, her eyes holding a glint of anticipation. Alternate-Sol grinned under the shade of his hood.

"Bring it, bitch! Just remember...you brought this on yourself, so don't blame me for what happens to you."

The former Knight said. Justice's eyes narrowed into slits.

"My, we are quite confident...let's witness how long that holds out."

She said as the clips of her shoulder pads raised up. Heat gathered at the center of the pads, distorting the air. Alternate-Sol's Fire Seal began gathering heat as well, turning the blade bright crimson. The dragon's flesh started to melt slowly. Justice released her Gamma Ray at her opponent who at the last second stood and ripped his sword free from the dead dragon's body in a large arcing swing, causing a giant explosion of red flames that decimated the dragon's carcass from existence. The massive beam reached the flames, but were unable to penetrate the wall of fire that enveloped the former Knight's body. The land was charred black from the tremendous heat as each attack calmed to a small sizzle. The air remained distorted, bending and twisting each other's vision of the other. Justice's arms crossed as she stared down at her enemy, a gleam of respect in her golden eyes.

"That display of power was nothing short of magnificent. To halt one of my most powerful attacks head on...you do possess incredible power for a mere Human."

The Commander Gear said, her arms going to her sides. Alternate-Sol lowered his blade. He let it tap his leg lightly as he stared at Justice without a trace of emotion across his face.

"You going to bore me with so much talking? Hurry and fight already."

The former Knight said in a casual slurred tone as if he were half awake, tossing the remains of his tattered cloak. No more words were spared as the two charged at each other in earnest, intent on ripping one another to shreds. Justice formed a Michael Sword with her hand before swinging her arm with tremendous might and speed, but was met with an equally vicious strike from the Fire Seal in Alternate-Sol's possession. The impact from each successive strike jarred their bodies as sparks lighted the night sky and the clang of metal on metal filled the air. Alternate-Sol finally found an opening to capitalize on, moving to the side to evade a downward swipe of Justice's talons. He brought a flame covered fist to her stomach, knocking the wind out of the surprised Commander Gear before bringing his other fist through the sphere of fire that struck Justice prior, causing a large explosion that sent her off her feet. Not letting up his advantage, the former Knight ran to her descending body with Fire Seal scraping the ground. Flames surrounded the blade like a lit match head as Alternate-Sol took to the air, catching the Commander Gear cleanly in the back so that she flipped over. Now aligned with her head, he twisted his body to build momentum before his fist met with her face at high speed to leave a trail of fire in it's wake. There seemed to be a small pause when the attack connected before Justice was sent back through the air like a rocket. She remained airborne for a good while before colliding with the black earth, taking an equally long time to skid to a stop. Sol turned to Slayer.

"Do we really need to watch me kill her again? Can't you speed things up, old man?"

He asked Slayer, but the Vampire shook his head. Sol sighed and just decided to continue watching as his other self walked casually towards Justice's location, which was obscured by a fog of black dust that arose in the wake of her landing. Before the former Knight could make his way to the end of the trail, he was attacked from behind. He guarded against Justice's tail as it jutted from the ground but hadn't planned to have the Fire Seal's hilt ensnared as the tail wrapped around it. Justice attacked from the front of Alternate-Sol leaving him to guard with his other arm, but without the sword, he could not prevent those claws from sinking into his flesh. Regardless of the pain, not a single sound escaped his lips, even when Justice's claws extended into tentacles and destroyed his arm from the inside, crushing muscles and tendons. Blood leaked out from the several punctures that now covered his arm.

"Your quite the Human, Corrupted Flame. I'll give you that much credit. This attack would leave normal Humans in so much pain that they would scream out in agony and pray for their God to save them."

The Commander Gear claimed. Alternate-Sol smirked.

"God? Why would I want to deal with such a hassle? Just get it over with or it might be you who ends up dead."

He said, releasing the Fire Seal and using his now free hand to punch her cleanly in the chin and causing her head to reel back viciously. Justice instantly used her own free hand to destroy his arm in the exact same manner as his other one. Still he remained silent, as if immune to the pain.

"Even without your arms and the hopelessness of your situation, you don't just break down like a normal Human would. I'm impressed."

She said. The former Knight held his smirk, as his eyes looked at her in a condescending manner. This look he regarded towards her left her seething in violent rage. In an instant she retracted her fingers to normal function, spinning around to deliver a strike with the back of her hand to the side of Alternate-Sol's head. His body was sent twirling through the air for a scant few seconds before landing hard on his face. The process of getting up proved difficult without his arms, and the former Knight could only rise up to a kneeling position. Once again did he look at her in the same fashion, as if he had already won the day, and that earned him another strike that was powerful enough to rip his head piece off his forehead to land in the far distance. Before he could rise again, Justice's hand was clamped around his throat before lifting him up into the air to dangle slightly in her grasp. Something on his forehead caught her attention.

"You...possess the emblem...so, you are a Gear. How surprising! That there was a humanoid Gear I hadn't known to exist in all these years. But, the reasons for your great power are made clear to me now. Killing you would be a waste, so I'll just have to control you instead. Now revel in the destruction of the Human race and atone for the murder of so many of our brethren you took with your own hands!"

The Commander Gear ordered, dropping Alternate-Sol to his feet. The newly discovered Gear regenerated his arms back to their former shape and then went to grab the Fire Seal. He stood still for a moment before turning to face a questioning Justice. The Commander Gear barely had enough time to evade an incoming slash of the heavy blade. Alternate-Sol advanced on her with greater speed. Justice was too shocked at what she was witnessing.

"How dare you...your not following my orders!"

She claimed. The newly discovered Gear's only response was a slight grin appearing on his face, baring elongated fangs as his eyes became animalistic, the pupils becoming vertical slits. His nails extended into claws.

"We're not done yet, bitch!"

He declared, his voice deeper and wild. The Fire Seal came down hard as Justice defended with her forearms, the armor cracking as the blade bit deeply through the armor to cut her skin. Blood seeped through the cracks soon after and Justice let out a hiss of pain.

"Impossible! No Gear should be able to resist my orders! How can you be defying me...?"

The commander Gear had to know how such a thing was possible, but was not given the satisfaction.

"Ponder that in hell!"

He claimed as he dislodged his sword free from her arms. He went on the offensive once more, only this time, Justice was ill prepared to face him. She had never had to face a Gear in true combat since they were all under her control. Nor did she ever expect to face such a fearsome and powerful Gear such as this. His whole left arm with blade in hand surged with the intense heat of his fire magic as he sent his fist crashing into Justice, followed by his right fist that crashed with the same explosive force as the previous one. He concluded his Tyrant Rave Omega with a powerful upward slash of the Fire Seal, blasting the Commander Gear with a massive wall of flames that seeped off the blade's surface. The force of the final blow sent her spiraling through the air with great velocity. Before She fell to the ground, Alternate-Sol was already underneath her, planting his sword deep within the black earth to summon forth an eruption of spiraling fire to send her body even higher up in the air. The sweltering heat had already charred and melted most of her armor black, and Justice could barely keep a grasp of her consciousness as her vision remained obscured by red haziness. A great roar that surpassed the sound of the crackling flames was emitted underneath her. For a few sparse seconds, Justice's vision became as clear as crystal.

"This...power...I sense..."

She said softly to herself, watching her enemy as he clutched his forehead with his hands. His crimson emblem went dark, spilling forth with a black fire that consumed his entire body. The Gear fell to his knees as his arms went to his sides, hands and feet sprouting even longer claws while large black wings and tail sprouted from his back. Justice's eyes went wide in realization. This being was the true power of Gears, in all it's raw and savage glory bared forth before her very eyes.

"So this is it...but if ...by your own hands...I have...no regrets..."

Her eyes closed as her words were drowned out by the bellowing of the inferno and the war cry of the Gear beneath her. Her emblem's light went dim as she lost complete consciousness. Before the black demonic creature that was the true form of Sol Badguy could ascend to deliver the finishing strike on Justice, his heightened senses picked out another being close to his location. To prove his point, a familiar voice soon followed.

"Is Justice's power weakening? The Gears are no longer moving!"

That had been Ky's voice. Not wanting to be exposed as the Gear he was by the Holy Knight, Alternate-Sol growled deeply low in his throat and focused on regaining his humanity. The black fire that surrounded his body now seeped back into his emblem before regaining it's former light and heat. The flames that held Justice suspended cooled down to a sizzle to let her body fall back down to earth. Alternate-Sol stood on his feet that wobbled slightly, letting out a few haggard breaths. Using the last of his reserve strength, he located his head piece and fled the scene. Ky was there a few moments later to survey the area, or what was left of it. He was barely able to locate Justice's body since it blended well with the remains of the land.

"This fire and lava...could it have been...?"

Ky pondered to himself out loud. Only one fit the bill for the time of destruction caused here that came to mind but the man could not be found. Ky shook his head to regain his posture. Even as he inspected Justice, he could not tell whether she was still alive. Regardless, no chances would be taken. Ky was determined to have Justice sealed away where she could do no more harm. He could hear the distant sound of many people marching here now, and knew it had to be his fellow Knights who would be able to come here quickly since the Gears were no longer moving to provide any interference. He turned to see the many battalions coming into view.

"ATTENTION ALL UNITS! THE TIME HAS COME TO SEAL JUSTICE!"

He yelled. Roars of joy followed as the Knights heard the news and passed it on to their allies. The cheering continued to grow and grow.

:xXx:

Everything went black again as Sol stood besides Slayer.

"Tch...damn boy scout always get's in the way of everything. I wasn't even able to deliver the final hit."

He said, throughly annoyed. Slayer simply stroked his elegant beard for a bit.

"It doesn't really hold much significance when your other self will get another opportunity to end things once and for all. We should move onto other things, Sol. There isn't much more to be seen, but I'm sure your curious to see what may become of Dizzy in the alternate time flow."

The Vampire said. Sol looked genuinely curious for a few seconds before scowling.

"Hey, I thought you were going to show me where That Asshole was from the beginning! What's with all the sidetracking, old man!"

Sol was not given a respond by Slayer, but the scenery came into view now. The two were standing in front of the remains of some ruin hidden in the grove of a forest. Sol recognized the young woman who sat down, playing with a small squirrel in her lap. Beside her were a few scampering rabbits and an infant dragon that was napping curled up like a ball.

"That it..."

Sol said slowly. Dizzy had a serene smile, something he had never seen before, yet her eyes held a deep sadness as she sat there beside a very shallow river. She tensed up along with the animals as she heard footsteps approaching. She let the squirrel off her lap to scamper away with the rabbits deeper into the forest, the infant dragon following not far behind. She gave Alternate-Sol a sideways glance as he walked into the clearing, laying his tattered cloak on a broken pillar. He stopped on the other side of the small river, crossing his arms. A nearly finished cigarette dangled from his lips. Dizzy simply continued to stare at him as he did not make any movements.

"You are...another bounty hunter?"

She asked softly, before her eyes turned from him to looking to the ground. Not many would let themselves be known outright, usually trying to defeat her with underhanded sneak attacks. She was quite curious on exactly who the person was.

"If I am?"

Alternate-Sol spoke in his lazy drawl, like he just woke up. Dizzy's frame became even more tense.

"I don't wish to fight. Don't Gears have the right to live? All I want is to live here...quietly and peacefully."

She told him, standing up. If her words touched him in any way, it didn't show. In fact, he sneered.

"Live quietly and peacefully, huh? One who can't even retrain the monsters within will never have those things."

He responded calmly. The cigarette fell from his mouth to flicker into ash by a ring of fire that rose up from under his feet, making his hair rise up for a second before falling back into place. He took a step forward to get into his casual stance as the Fire Seal tapped against his leg. Dizzy took a sharp intake of air as she took a step back, arms crossed to clutch her shoulders.

"Please! Stay away! I haven't done anything wrong!"

She pleaded, the arms she wrapped around herself beginning to shake, as if trying to hold something back. Alternate-Sol scowled.

"Blaming them? They're extensions of yourself. The blame is all your's."

He declared softly. Her breathing became erratic. It was not much longer before she was going to be taken over by Necro and Undine.

"I...please leave...before it's too late..."

Her words of warning went unheeded as bright light consumed her body.

:ToBeContinued:

Note: Sorry for the major delay, but my computer's been having some major technical difficulties and I lost the original chapter 8 and had to start from scratch. I know I said things would conclude between Sol and Slayer by this chapter, but it will actually conclude in chapter 9 and then go back to Sol and Dizzy. Again, I apologize and hope everyone has a nice Thanks Giving.


End file.
